American Fork Citizen: officials' disclosures leave open questions on contracts and ties
The local paper found a city landscaping contract held by the mayor's company went 13 years without a rebid, and that two council members list ties to the firm that built the newest fire station.
Based on reporting by American Fork Citizen. Read the original story →
Continuing story: Auditing American Fork
A review of American Fork officials' conflict-of-interest disclosures by the American Fork Citizen found some ties disclosed and managed, others unanswered, and spouse sections filled out inconsistently. [1]
Mayor Brad Frost's company, Valley View Landscaping, won an 18-site city contract in 2013 at $785 a week. Frost disclosed his ownership and abstained. The work was not rebid until 2026. Invoices show $1,020 a week from at least 2020. This year's bids came in at about $610, $1,360 and $1,610 a week, the last from Valley View, and the city moved the work in-house. Assistant City Administrator Camden Bird called the arrangement "the best deal residents could have received." [1]
Council member Ryan Hunter lists SIRQ Construction, the company that built Fire Station 52, as his employer and reports an ownership interest. Council member Clark Taylor works part-time for SIRQ and says he would recuse himself from any SIRQ bid. SIRQ won the contract in 2020, before either joined the council. Hunter did not respond to the paper's questions. [1]
Council member Ernie John leads the American Fork Irrigation Company and the American Fork Metro Water District, which deal with the city on water. He did not respond about recusals. [1]
Frost is now president and CEO of the American Fork Chamber of Commerce, which holds the city's Steel Days contract and uses space in Historic City Hall. The city said the mayor pro tem now manages that contract. [1]
Sources
This story was written by AI from the report by American Fork Citizen, which has the full story. How we write stories.